The Royal Commission report into Aged Care Quality and Safety has now been released and is a critical watershed moment in Australia’s quest for a fair and just system that gives older people the care and choice they need and deserve, according to the nation’s aged care providers.
Speaking collectively under the Australian Aged Care Collaboration (AACC) banner, providers said the design of the current aged care system was structurally flawed.
The AACC represents more than 1,000 organisations who deliver 70 per cent of aged care services to 1.3 million Australians, either in their own homes or in communal residential settings.
In focusing on the problem, Australia spends $26B a year on aged care, $21B of which is in the form of government-subsidised care, and the remainder funded by individuals themselves, much of that coming through pensions. This is less than half of what comparable countries spend, as a percentage of GDP.
At least 100,000 people are waiting for home support at their approved level, with those in need of the highest-level packages typically waiting at least 12 months.
It is estimated 78,000 extra workers are needed in the next 10 years to deal with the country’s ageing population.
64% of communal residential aged care homes operated at a loss in 2020, almost double the medium-term average of 33%. The DP Jones Nursing Home in Murchison was one casualty of underfunding in this region.
When asked, Veronica Jamieson, CEO of Shepparton Villages said, “Any additional funding for the industry will be welcomed by all. However, the funding that has been announced by the Morrison Government is only a start to what is really needed for Australia to have a world class aged care system. In 2019/20 the government spent just over $26B on aged care. To catch up with the leading systems of the world we need to spend double that amount. So, there is a way for us as a nation to go.
“More funding is only part of the way forward. The system needs a complete overhauling in its structure and how care and services are delivered. It needs an overhaul of how it is governed. It needs a better career structure for its workforce.
”So, for Australia to end up with a better system, I have my eye on the long game. For real transformational change to occur it must start upstream with a new Aged Care Act and significant change to government policy. From there, real change can flow down through the regulatory bodies into the industry and to the people it cares for.
The Federal government has provided a relief package of $452M in response to the report to deal with immediate pressing concerns.
Successive governments have failed to respond to the needs of the aged over the years, treating the issues with political concerns rather than a duty of care to the aged.
One issue mentioned in the report was the need for fully trained aged care workers, perhaps operating within a national registry to avoid the transfer of care workers with a poor record moving from one facility to another. In addition, there needs to be an increase in the ratio of trained nurses operating in the facilities.
In the Goulburn Valley, more than 21 percent of the population are over 65 and with an aging population, this number is likely to grow significantly over the next decade with many needing some form of care.
The recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission will require significant additional funding in coming years, but at the same time, the aged care sector can do better and consumers need to acknowledge they too can play a part.
Whilst there is a role for government, there is also a role to be played by consumers who have a capacity to pay, to be willing to contribute to their care needs.
As part of the ongoing reform of aged care, government and providers must ensure regional, remote and indigenous communities receive the same level of care as the city.
